1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal and a portable telephone, which have a photographic function for receiving photographic light from a camera subject and obtaining image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as computer technology advances, portable terminals come into wide use. Of the portable terminals, a portable telephone and a PHS (Personal Handyphone System), (which will be referred to as portable telephones, hereinafter), for performing a radio communication between those and a base station explosively come into wide use. As a popular machine type of the present portable telephones, there is raised a machine type incorporating thereinto a camera.
By the way, Japanese Patent Publication TokuKai. 1998-268386 discloses a camera having a mirror for oneself photography. On the other hand, also in a portable telephone incorporating thereinto a camera there is known a portable telephone having a mirror for oneself photography.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the conventional portable telephone incorporating a camera.
A portable telephone 9 shown in FIG. 1 is a folding type of telephone folding up. The portable telephone 9 shown in FIG. 1 incorporates thereinto a camera. A transparent camera panel covers a photographic lens of the camera. The photographic lens is not illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows the portable telephone 9 in a state that it folds. On a surface of the portable telephone 9 in this state, there are provided an antenna 91 for communications, apertures 92 from which a terminating sound emanates, a sub-display 93 provided in addition to a main display (not illustrated), the above-mentioned transparent camera panel, or a camera panel 94, and a mirror 95 for oneself photography provided in the vicinity of the camera panel 94. To take a picture of one's own face by oneself using such a portable telephone 9, an operator has the portable telephone 9 at the ready in such a manner that the photographic lens turns toward oneself, confirms composition of a photograph in view of the mirror image reflected in the mirror 95, and depresses a shutter button (not illustrated). Then, an image representative of one's own face at the time of the depression of the shutter button is taken into the portable telephone 9 in form of image data.
However, sticking of stains such as dust and fingerprints to the camera panel 94 covering the photographic lens makes it difficult to take a clear picture, even in the event that a picture of any thing including one's own face is taken. The camera panel 94 of the portable telephone 9 shown in FIG. 1 is always exposed, and thus it is easy that a stain sticks to the camera panel 94. For this reason, when a user operates the portable telephone 9 shown in FIG. 1, the user has to take a care so that no stain sticks to the camera panel 94. Thus, the operability is lowered. Further, there is a possibility that a stain sticks to the camera panel 94 at the time of carrying and keeping. For this reason, it may happen that prior to starting the photographic operation a work to remove a stain sticking to the camera panel 94 has to be performed. This work also makes the operability to be lowered.
Further, the wide use of such a portable telephone with a camera makes it possible for anyone to easily take a picture around. On the other hand, it is difficult for those around one to determine whether an operator of the portable telephone performs a photographic operation or another operation. In the event that the operator happens to operate the portable telephone in a telephone mode turning toward a person, there is a possibility of arousing the person's suspicion about sneakingly taking a shot of the person.
Japanese Patent Publication TokuKai. 2001-309003 discloses a portable telephone with a camera having a cover member covering a photographic lens, which cover member opens and shuts selectively. The portable telephone disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication TokuKai. 2001-309003 has no camera panel for covering a photographic lens. The photographic lens is disposed at the closest one to the camera subject side, of parts of a photographic optical system of the portable telephone. Here, the one disposed closest to the camera subject side, of parts of the photographic optical system, is referred to as an optical member. According to the portable telephone disclosed in this Japanese Patent Publication, a cover member can cover the optical member at the time of nonuse of the camera. Thus, a possibility that a stain sticks to the optical member is reduced. Further, covering the optical member by the cover member removes arousing one's suspicion about a candid shot.
However, the portable telephone disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication TokuKai. 2001-309003 is not provided with the mirror 95 as shown in FIG. 1. On the other hand, Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3064740 discloses a portable telephone with no camera having a mirror and a cover for covering the mirror, which cover opens and shuts selectively.
In view of the above, it is considered that technology of the cover member disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication TokuKai. 2001-309003 is applied to the portable telephone 9 shown in FIG. 1. By the way, it is preferable that the mirror for oneself photography is disposed in the vicinity of an optical member as much as possible in order to reduce a discrepancy in one's eye at the time of oneself photography as much as possible. According to the portable telephone 9 shown in FIG. 1, the mirror 95 is disposed in the vicinity of the optical member. Thus, when it is intended that technology of the cover member disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication TokuKai. 2001-309003 is applied to the portable telephone 9 shown in FIG. 1, there occurs necessity that an open and shut mechanism for a cover member is arranged with a specific mechanism in such a manner that when the cover member is opened it is prevented that the cover member covers the mirror. This brings about degradation of operability of an open and shut operation of the cover member.
Provision of the cover member makes it possible to prevent a stain from sticking to the optical member when the cover member covers the optical member. This may improve the operability of the open and shut operation of the cover member. However, regardless of the existence of the mirror, even if the cover member is provided on a portable telephone with a camera, the optical member exposes at the time of photography. Thus, there remains a possibility that a stain sticks to the optical member. For this reason, there is obliged such a work that prior to the start of the photographic operation a stain sticking to the optical member is removed, which work involves degradation of operability.